One Day at a Time
by Fenrir666
Summary: Harry Potter was raised in an environment that does not generally produce heroes. Abuse and neglect tend to form a vicious cycle. This is the story of a hurting child making sure that no one can ever hurt them again. This is the story of an abused boy who spent years going through life, one day at a time. M for violence, language, and possible future sexual content not lemon


**A/N: I'm gonna be frank, I don't anticipate this updating frequently. If there's exceptional interest, I'll be more likely to update this, but don't hold your breath.**

** That being said, I'll try have every chapter be self-contained, even though there **_**is**_** an overall canon in my mind for this story.**

** Premise: Harry Potter grew up with relatives who didn't want him, who care nothing for his well-being. Though they were never physically violent beyond a light strike, though no sexual abuse was inflicted, Harry Potter was abused. Cruel words were all he heard for a decade of his life. Chores were all he did, and no appreciation was given. Bullying, both physical and verbal, was inflicted by his cousin, and encouraged by the people who were supposed to care for him. From a young age, he had to fend for himself. Aunt Petunia never cared for him if sick, Uncle Vernon never taught him to ride a bike. He fixed food for his Aunt and Uncle, not the other way around. His formative years were spent learning how to be an adult.**

** An environment like this does not create a shy, deferential child. It creates a sullen, resentful young adult. This treatment does not encourage trust and honesty, it teaches one to keep quiet and never reveal anything to anger those in charge. This life does not create a selfless, courageous individual. It creates a callous, hurting soul that cannot trust, that will not see anything as anymore than a lie. To ask for help is to be locked in a cupboard. To try to befriend a fellow child is to be beaten by your cousin. To complain is to starve for days.**

** So, if you were this young man, and you learned you had **_**power**_**, what would you do? Would you go to the house of the brave and bold, those who selflessly help others? Or would you see such things as foolish naivety? Would you be loyal to your fellow man, and treasure hard work for its own sake? Or would you seek to make others carry the weight of the world for once? Would gaining knowledge for its intrinsic value be a virtue to be cherished? Or a pointless waste of time? Would ambition, power and cruelty seem abhorrent and pointless when ****compared to love? Or would it seem like a breath of fresh air to a child that hasn't known love since infancy?**

** What would you do, if you were this child? Could you see the righteous path, or be blinded by pain you don't even know you feel?**

** Would you defy the Dark Lord because you know that, in your heart, evil is wrong? Or because if it hadn't been for him, you never would have suffered in the first place?**

** I know what I would do, because I can place myself in that child's shoes. Not perfectly, but well enough to know that Harry Potter is a broken, wounded child, and some wounds simply can't be healed...**

** –Privet Drive, Little Whinging, 1987–**

Harry stood by the sink, carefully washing the dishes. He checked every single dish three times over. He had no desire to repeat his twenty-four hour stay in his cupboard because Uncle Vernon's glass still had some soap in it. Harry's teeth gritted at the memory. Ever since his failed plea to his teacher, they'd just gotten worse. First a week for the attempt itself, then three days without food for poor mopping, then the cup-

Harry carefully rinsed the plate in his hands and placed it with the other clean dishes. He'd read the book on abuse, _knew_ that what they did was wrong, and they _still_ got away with it. The testimony of Aunt Marge and a few neighbors had been all it took.

Stupid teacher. Stupid counselor. Stupid principle. None of them listened, none of them _looked!_ And now _he_ was paying for their stupidity. It was all he could do to control his rage. He closed his eyes, and so he didn't see the water in the sink beginning to boil. The blood pounded in his ears, so he didn't hear the humming as the lights began to heat up. Didn't hear Vernon's curse as the television flickered.

What he _did_ hear was the sudden sound of every single light-bulb in the house exploding at once, a loud zapping noise as the electronics inside the television fried and then the shattering of the screen. Heard Uncle Vernon's roar of rage, felt the large hand grab him by his wrist, heard himself sigh as he knew that, once again, it would be _his_ fault.

As the cupboard door slammed behind him, as the locks clicked to prevent his escape, Harry stared at the ceiling, seeing clearly even in the darkness. Had he thought about it, he might have found his perfect night vision peculiar. But all he could picture in his mind's eye was Uncle Vernon screaming and screaming in pain, was Aunt Petunia howling as he broke every bone in her body, one by one, Dudley pleading and begging as Harry willed the blood to boil in his veins, and, not for the first time, heard distant laughter echoing in his mind, as his conscious mind melted away and all that remained was the burning rage and hatred, the desire to hurt and hurt and hurt, to lash out like a wounded animal and laugh and laugh and laugh as the world burned around him, and be only distantly aware that this felt so much more like a memory than something he was thinking now...

**–End Chapter–**

** Short, I know, but I think it sets the scene quite nicely. Rest assured, further chapter's will follow my 3000 word minimum for standard chapters, and probably average out between 3500-4200.**

** Reviews are why I post this, instead of keeping it to myself, so feel free to tell me what you think, even if you don't feel qualified for big analysis. Just saying "Interesting concept, I wanna see more", or "This is dumb, and here's why in a sentence", is enough for me. I'm not picky. In depth is better, but so in getting an A in physics, which, lets be frank, isn't something everyone knows how to do.**


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